Belgium Country Overview
Where is Belgium located? Belgium is a kingdom and is located in western Europe. Belgium forms the Benelux countries with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. On the time zone map, the countries along the degrees of longitude are assigned to different world time zones. The classification provides information about how big the time difference between the respective country and the world time (also called UTC) is. The time zone in which Belgium is located is called “Central European Time” or “Central European Time” and is 1 hour ahead of world time. In summer, the time is changed to “Central European Summer Time”. Then the time difference to the world clock is 2 hours.
Bordering Countries of Belgium
According to abbreviationfinder, Belgium is a small country in the western part of Europe, located between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. It is bordered by a total of four countries and has a population of around 11 million people. It is an important political and cultural center in Europe, as well as an economic powerhouse due to its highly developed infrastructure.
The Netherlands borders Belgium to the north and west, with a total length of 450 km. This border has been in place for centuries and is one of the most important geopolitical boundaries in Europe. The Dutch economy is highly developed with some of the largest ports in Europe located on its coastline. The Netherlands also has an advanced education system which attracts students from all over the world.
Germany borders Belgium to the east, with a total length of 167 km. This border was established after World War II when Germany was divided into East and West Germany by Allied forces. Since then, Germany has become one of the most powerful economies in Europe and continues to be an important trading partner for Belgium due to its close proximity.
Luxembourg borders Belgium on its southern side, with a total length of 148 km. Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe but it has become increasingly important due to its strategic location at the heart of western Europe’s economic powerhouses such as France and Germany. It also boasts one of the highest GDP per capita rates in the world which makes it an attractive destination for foreign investment from companies around the globe.
France borders Belgium on its southwestern side with a total length of 544 km making it Belgium’s longest border by far. France is one of Belgium’s main trading partners due to their shared language (French) as well as their close historical ties dating back centuries ago when they were both part of what was known as “The Low Countries” or “The Netherlands” during medieval times.
In conclusion, Belgium is bordered by four countries: The Netherlands to its north and west sides; Germany on its eastern side; Luxembourg on its southern side; and France on its southwestern side. Each country brings something unique to this small European nation that makes it such an interesting place both politically and economically speaking; from their advanced economies & educational systems through their strategic locations at key points within Western Europe’s powerhouses to their rich histories & cultural ties shared over centuries – all these factors make up what makes up modern day Belgium today!
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Belgium is 11,720,716, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
Total population | 11,720,716 |
Population growth rate | 0.63% |
Birth rate | 11.30 births per 1,000 people |
Life expectancy | |
Overall life expectancy | 79.78 years |
Men life expectancy | 76.62 years |
Women life expectancy | 83.08 years |
Age structure | |
0-14 years | 17.20% |
15-64 years | 64.03% |
65 years and above | 18.78% |
Median age | 41.40 years |
Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 0.96 |
Population density | 383.93 residents per km² |
Urbanization | 97.20% |
Ethnicities | |
59% Flemings, 40% Walloons, 1% German-speaking community – proportion of foreigners in 2015: 11.6% | |
Religions | |
Catholics (Roman Catholic) 75%; Liberals 12%; Other 13% | |
Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.919 |
HDI ranking | 17th out of 194 |
People in Belgium
Around eleven million people live in Belgium, most of them in the north of the country. The south of the country is less densely populated. About 6.2 million people live in the northern Flemish region. 3.5 million live in the southern Walloon region and just over a million in the capital Brussels. The majority of the Walloons live in Brussels.
Of the residents with another nationality, the Italians form the largest group, followed by the French and Dutch, then Moroccans and other nations.
Languages in Belgium
The Flemings speak Dutch and the Walloons speak French. Flanders is the region that borders the North Sea in Belgium. A small minority in the east of the country speaks the German language. There have often been arguments between Flemings and Walloons in the past. This is still the case sometimes today. The reason lies in the history of the country. Belgium as a state has not existed that long, namely since 1830.
When Belgium was founded as an independent state in 1830, most people still spoke French. But since 1963, all languages of Belgium – Dutch, French and German – have been on an equal footing. By the way, 60 out of 100 Belgians speak Dutch, which is the largest part.
Religions in Belgium
Most Belgians belong to the Roman Catholic Church, around 75 out of 100 Belgians. Only one percent can be assigned to the Protestant Church and eight out of 100 people profess Islam.
Out of 100 people, however, around 16 are not baptized at all or are religious, i.e. non-denominational. Catholicism has a long tradition in Belgium and led to a dispute with the Protestant north in the 19th century. So it came to the separation from each other.